News / arnolfini
Arnolfini ‘deeply regrets distress caused’ for cancelling Palestine events
More than five months since cancelling two Bristol Palestine Film Festival events, the Arnolfini’s trustees and senior leadership team have apologised “without reservation” and say that they “deeply regret the distress caused”.
The decision to cancel the events in November prompted an angry backlash and a boycotting of the gallery from more than 1000 local, national and international artists.
That boycott is now officially over but many artists are still angry with the gallery over their original decision and the length of time that it has taken for them to say sorry for what the Arnolfini’s statement says was “a decision based on the information and understanding we had at the time, but now believe it was wrong”.
is needed now More than ever
“We genuinely acknowledge the significant impact of how this situation has been handled and that an apology is long overdue. We deeply regret the distress caused and apologise without reservation,” says the statement.
“The ongoing devastation and loss of life in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel is abhorrent.
“The International Court of Justice has described Israel’s actions in Gaza as plausible acts of genocide. During this overwhelming humanitarian crisis, the voices of the victims need to be heard.
“Arnolfini recognises the importance of artists and their powerful voices in a complex world. We believe that freedom of expression and intellectual freedom are vital and must be fully reflected in our policies and practices.
“We are sorry that we did not provide a platform for Palestinian voices at such a crucial time.”
A mediation process is currently underway between the Arnolfini, the Bristol Palestine Film Festival, Bristol Artists for Palestine and Raise the Bar.
Protesters staged a sit-in at the Arnolfini in November – photo: Rob Browne
In their own statement, Bristol Artists for Palestine said: “We call for all arts institutions, galleries, venues, festivals, universities and funders to uphold the same consistent freedom of expression with no exception for Palestine that Arnolfini has committed to support, and to formally recognise the devastation being wrought by Israel as plausibly amounting to genocide, as the Arnolfini has done.”
A statement from Artists for Palestine UK added: “We welcome Arnolfini’s statement and applaud the hard work of those involved in the mediation process.
“We hope this sends a clear message to other cultural institutions. Amid a repressive political and media climate, cultural institutions are too often failing in their duty to uphold freedom of expression and to protect against discrimination.
“At a time of unprecedented dehumanisation of Palestinian people, artists and audiences expect cultural spaces to amplify voices that articulate the realities of Palestinian experiences and aspirations, as vital contributions to cultural understanding and to our shared humanity.”
Main photo:
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
